1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to equipment management systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a telephone-based remote equipment management system.
2. Description of Related Art
Often, equipment is leased, rented or sold subject to a purchase money security interest (PMSI) to users who cannot afford or do not want to buy the equipment outright, or who have only temporary need for it. Often this equipment is provided in return for periodic payments that may be fixed, or based on use. However, when a lessee is in possession of the equipment, it can sometimes be costly, difficult or impossible to control and enforce prompt payment. Moreover, because of logistical issues, once a lessee is in possession of the equipment, there is little incentive to pay periodically or to return it. The legal remedies to enforce payment obligations are inconsistent among the states and pursuing such remedies can be extremely costly. A lessee's or owner's obligation to make such periodic payments can also be delayed or severely reduced in amount by a bankruptcy of the lessee or owner of the equipment. Finally, for the lessor, there is often a need to perform periodic maintenance, upgrades, and the like to the equipment. Much of this work can be performed if given access to the electronic components of the equipment. However collecting the data necessary to maintain or upgrade equipment can be impossible or prohibitively expensive.
Therefore, what is needed is a system that allows convenient remote access control to controlled equipment via a cellular telephone based interface, to control the equipment, including but not limited to disabling it upon the event of a payment default, without physically accessing it.